FUNNY FISHERMEN
Catchphrases are so last decade. Instead, comedians Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer have teamed up to catch something far more elusive – Britain’s fish
Comics Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer get hooked on angling.
This summer Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse are taking to Britain’s rivers and lakes to tackle the serious subject of fish – all while recuperating from heart problems.
Travelling across some of the UK’s most beautiful landscapes, the duo have filmed six half-hour episodes where they discuss the joys and vicissitudes of life while angling. Paul is something of a fishing pro, having fallen hook, line and sinker for the activity in his youth with his Dad, while rusty Bob hasn’t picked up a rod since he was a teenager.
How did this road trip come about? “Paul is a lifelong friend and the chance to have one last adventure together before we snuff it was irresistible,” says Bob.
“I sold it to Bob by saying fishing is long periods of boredom punctuated by short, sharp periods of incredibly intense boredom,” says Paul. “As a Middlesbrough fan, he lapped it up.”
The fishing came before the filming. After Bob had a triple heart bypass, Paul took him fishing to recuperate, having had three stents fitted himself. “The series isn’t a contrivance – I’d started taking him fishing anyway,” notes Paul. “We thought, ‘this is quite funny – two old gits who could drop dead at any minute’. The jeopardy element is what TV people like.”
FUNNY FISHERMEN
The series offers a charming mix of beautiful landscape, footage of the pair angling and entertaining exchanges as they perch on the banks. It has a relaxed, genial pace, featuring the contemplative calm of the fishing and the evident rapport between Paul and Bob. Natural comics, their conversations veer from the sublime to the ridiculous at the drop of a hat, with silly accents and quick-fire retorts peppering deeper philosophical discussions. “None of it is scripted, it’s just us talking rubbish,” says Paul.
Paul’s favourite episode is where they fish for barbel on the River Wye in Herefordshire, where he and his Dad used to go. “A barbel is a strange and beautiful creature, extremely adapted to its environment,” he says. “It looks very unusual, slightly like a prehistoric fish; they’re strong and magnificent.”
Bob was so taken by the lifestyle of the fish he observed that he’d happily switch places with one. “If I were a British wild animal, I’d have to be a tench. It lives a lovely, lazy life at the bottom of the lake, seemingly sleeping a lot and taking the odd gulp of food that may pass by.”
How did Paul find travelling with Bob? “It was an absolute joy,” he says. “He’s very funny; his mind is so strange.” Although Paul had to endure Bob’s choice of accommodation, which at times alarmed him –“I hate eco-toilets. I’m too old for all that nonsense,” he grumbles – as well as Bob’s ‘hearthealthy’ cooking. “Bob claimed he’s a really good cook. I think he’s a liar.”
Bob had expected Paul to be a brutal tutor, but has been pleasantly surprised: “I’ve learnt so much from him and he’s been very patient teaching me about the fragile ecosystem. I had no idea he had such a deep knowledge of the countryside. You can’t really be in love with fishing without understanding everything around it.”
Paul sums the series up: “It’s a celebration of ageing, childhood, the countryside, fishing and friendship.”
Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing starts in June on BBC Two. You can also catch Paul and Bob at Countryfile Live this August (see over).
“Fishing is diverting – you forget about the world and immerse yourself in nature” Paul Whitehouse